PPB October 2016

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4 Smoking and Marijuana
Use. Given the increasing
use of e-cigarettes (vapes)
and other smokeless devices,
employee handbooks should
mention e-cigarettes specifically
in their smoking policy and
should clearly state that they
and other tobacco and nicotine
products are covered under the
smoking policy. The handbook
should also regulate them
like any other tobacco-related
product, including where and
when they can be used.
Many states have eased
restrictions on the recreational
and/or medical use of
marijuana. While those state
policies vary widely, it’s
generally safe to state in your
handbook that marijuana used
for recreational and medical
purposes will be treated like
other drugs and substances
with regard to their use at
the workplace, and that use
of marijuana at work and/or
being under the influence of it at
work is prohibited.
5State Updates.
Increasingly, states and
municipalities have been
leading the way in passing
significant labor law reforms.
These include mandating paid
and unpaid sick leave, minimum
wages, accommodations for
pregnant women and new
mothers, equal pay standards,
“ban the box” legislation, LGBT
nondiscrimination, drug testing
and many other changes to
laws and workplace regulations.
Remember, you are responsible
for staying abreast of changes to
laws and regulations within each
state and municipality where
your employees are located,
and your employee handbooks
should be updated or amended
each year to make sure they are
fully compliant with all relevant
laws and regulations.
Claudia St. John, SPHR, SHRM-
SCP, is president of Affinity HR
Group, LLC and author of the
best-selling book,
Transforming Teams—Tips for
Improving Collaboration and
Building Trust. Affinity HR Group,
PPAI’s affiliated human resources
associate, specializes in providing
human resources assistance
to associations such as PPAI
and their member companies.
Remember, you
are responsible
for staying
abreast of
changes to laws
and regulations
within each state
and municipality
where your
employees
are located
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74 | OCTOBER 2016 |
THINK